What's the goal?

The goal here is to collectively raise the $10 million Ottawa refuses to invest in the
all-weather access road essential to the survival and viability of the
people of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. It's a road that, if
built, would help make it possible for them to finally enjoy what
generations of Winnipeggers have had for a century—access to
clean drinking water.

Winnipeggers past and present are asked to consider the true source
of 'their' water, and the costs to those displaced by
its diversion to a city roughly 140 kilometres away. For there is no
way we in Winnipeg should get to readily drink, cook and bathe with
that water while the people of Shoal Lake cannot, a sad and unjust
state of affairs the Free Press recently
described as "an indictment of [our] indifference."

That is why what the federal government won't do—unlike other levels
of government, who, to their credit, say they will contribute to the
road's construction—it seems we as individuals must collectively step
forward and do ourselves. Think of it as an opportunity to perform a
true act of reconciliation, one with the potential to give life to the recent recommendations of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission. An act that would help honour a
debt one hundred years in the making.

How do I pledge?

Like most crowdfunding sites, FundRazr accepts credit cards or bank
cards as ways to pledge on-line. When you pledge, the money is simply
"held" until the campaign either meets its goal or misses
its goal.

However, unlike most crowdfunding sites, FundRazr also
allows campaigns to accept "offline" pledges. So if you are
someone who is unable or unwilling to contribute on-line, you can now
pledge via cash or cheque. And remember: just like pledges made using
credit/bank cards, your cash or cheque pledges will
ONLY be collected if and when we meet our
goal. For details on how this works in practice, please consult
the specific instructions for making cash or cheque pledges below.

We will confirm receipt of your form and cheque soon after it arrives.

* SVAAWAG = Stop Violence Against Aboriginal Women Action Group,
a community based effort which has kindly offered to act as a
repository for pledges to this crowdfunder.

Where is my pledge going?

First of all, potential donors should know that this is an
"all-or-nothing" campaign: that is, no money will
change hands until the $10,000,000 goal is achieved.
When you pledge, then, you're really just telling your credit card
company to "hold" that money for the duration of the
campaign. If and when the goal is met, the pledge you made becomes a
payment and is then charged to your card; but if the goal is
not met, you'll pay nothing.

That means, even if pledges were to hit as high as $9,999,900, unless
that last $100 is pledged, no-one would see a single cent. Now, other
campaigns are set up so that organizers can receive and withdraw
pledgers' money almost as soon it is pledged. To me, I fear that would
leave the integrity of this particular effort way too open to question
and, frankly, I wouldn't want even a fraction of that money to be in
my account for a millisecond. In case it's not yet clear, I neither
want, nor will ever see, one thin dime from this campaign. If we hit
the goal, it will be Shoal Lake 40 First Nation who benefits. (Note:
FundRazr, the platform for this campaign, does administer a handling
fee for collected pledges, as does WePay, the payment processor.)

And so, again, because this is an "all-or-nothing"
campaign, no money will ever change hands *unless* and
*until* ALL $10 MILLION has been promised by donors BEFORE the late
August 28 deadline. Whatever the dollar amount people have pledged
using their credit cards or debit cards, NONE of it will be withdrawn
UNTIL the $10M goal is achieved. If the goal is not met, literally
nothing will happen.

But what if we do meet the goal? Can we trust you with our money?

Obviously, it's critical to both donors and the intended
beneficiaries that steps be taken to guarantee transparency and
accountability if/when the goal is reached. To that end, it seems what
would make most sense would be to engage a trusted third-party (a
respected lawyer and/or charitable foundation, say) to receive and
administer the transfer of funds for the road's construction. Shoal
Lake 40 has indicated that it already has a formal, collaborative and
transparent cost-sharing arrangement with both Manitoba and the City
of Winnipeg that would provide the appropriate mechanisms for
handling the funding we hope to generate here. This joint “Freedom
Road Project Team” is already overseeing the administration of a
detailed road design.

Who is behind this crowdfunder?

"Like other long-time Winnipeggers I know, I'm disgusted,
ashamed, even outraged by the fact that, while we get to take water
for granted every day, Shoal Lake goes without," says Rick.

"Basically, no water means no Winnipeg," he adds.
"Which means Winnipeg literally owes its existence to Shoal Lake
40. If we help get this access road funded, it would mean this
community is one massive step closer towards their ultimate goal of
a water treatment plant and, frankly, it’s the least we could do to
support people who've given us so much."

What does Shoal Lake 40 First Nation think of all this?

From the get-go, it was understood that the only proper way to
proceed with such a campaign was to have the upfront support of the
community's leadership. Here's what they want to state for the record:

Dear Rick,

'Freedom Road' is our First Nation's goal of putting an end to the
forced marginalization of our people. It's encouraging to know that
you and others share our vision of realizing a more equitable and
functional relationship with the rest of Canada. While we appreciate
your intentions, at the same time we wonder what kind of country
Canada is when safe access to essential services, when our right to
clean drinking water, when access to basic economic opportunity,
must depend on the kindness of strangers?

That said, if your efforts should miraculously succeed, donors can
be assured that every dollar raised would be applied under the fully
accountable joint project management arrangement already in place
with the governments of Manitoba and Winnipeg. Under this
arrangement, every dollar is matched 2 for 1 by the other two governments.

Road to Water, Road to Justice for Shoal Lake 40 Community

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